The quote is from none other than Star Tribune Politics and Team Leader, D.J. Tice:

America’s habitually low voter turnout is not a sign of our democracy’s frailty, but unmistakable evidence of its hearty good health.

(…)

Americans are not seriously afraid of the outcome of elections because, as a rule, nothing truly fundamental is at stake in our elections. The nation’s constitutional institutions are strong enough that basic freedoms are secure, no matter who gets elected.

But if what is meant is that voting should be made so effortless and convenient and, in a sense, trivial as to encourage voting even among those whose minds are uncomplicated by a single informed political thought — well, then it is challenging to imagine how the republic would be strengthened in the process.

-Pioneer Press, Oct 19th, 1994

Mr. Tice is blatantly wrong to even the most casual student of U.S. history and current events. In fact, his thesis statement (underlined above) is completely inverted from the truth:

The nation’s constitutional institutions are strong enough that basic freedoms are secure insecure, no matter who gets elected.

I’m sure Tice’s sanguine advice would have comforted the 74,000 Americans who suffered through the Japanese-American Internment. Or anyone who “published ‘false, scandalous, and malicious writing’ against the government” under the 1798 Sedition Act.

I doubt many Japanese-American’s berated themselves, wailing “Oh, if only we had elected Republican Wendell Willkie, instead of that disgraceful FDR, our constitutional freedoms would have remained secure!” After FDR destroyed Willkie in the 1940 Presidential Race, Willkie became a huge booster for FDR policies.

U.S. citizens know that their civil liberties are completely mutable, no matter who gets elected. Thus, many don’t bother to vote at all.

More worrisome than Tice’s ignorance is the complete and utter absence of a “mea culpa” from Tice in regards to the mainstream media. People think elections don’t matter because there aren’t many people out there telling them any differently. Sure, chucking civil liberties in war time might be a bipartisan pastime, but politicians and parties have varying degrees of success in promoting universal health care, strengthening the economy or protecting the environment: people need to know the record.

Tice is smart enough to know this - which makes his recent quote in City Pages ironic and sad:

In my own area, politics, we have a looming presidential election, the Republican convention, congressional races,” says D.J. Tice, the former Pioneer Press columnist who is now the Star Tribune’s politics and government team leader. “I just don’t like thinking about it, thinking about how we’re going to cover it. Who’s going to do the cop checks? Who’s going to the city council or the school board? Who’s going to keep an eye on those things?”

I guess people took your advice seriously D.J. Since it didn’t matter, they stopped paying attention.

They then stopped buying newspapers to read your column.

Ergo, your budget and staff has been cut to the bone so you now barely have the resources to help inform the rest of us who would like to develop at least one “single informed political thought” before next November.

What local media personality said the following back in 1994?

It may be difficult to believe for the pundits, politicians and activists who dominate public discourse, but politics is not, for everyone, the core of human existence, or life’s most interesting and important enterprise.

The option of being indifferent to politics is one of the unambiguous blessings of a free society. America’s habitually low voter turnout is not a sign of our democracy’s frailty, but unmistakable evidence of its hearty good health.

(…)

Americans are not seriously afraid of the outcome of elections because, as a rule, nothing truly fundamental is at stake in our elections. The nation’s constitutional institutions are strong enough that basic freedoms are secure, no matter who gets elected.

But if what is meant is that voting should be made so effortless and convenient and, in a sense, trivial as to encourage voting even among those whose minds are uncomplicated by a single informed political thought — well, then it is challenging to imagine how the republic would be strengthened in the process.

Hint: The answer is dripping with tragic irony, since the author’s bread and butter is now currently dependent on the public interest in politics. The answer later today.

Winston had a curious feeling that this was not a real human being but some kind of dummy. It was not the man’s brain that was speaking, it was his larynx. The stuff that was coming out of him consisted of words, but it was not speech in the true sense: it was a noise uttered in unconsciousness, like the quacking of a duck.

- George Orwell, 1984, Chapter 5

I’ve always wondered why I can’t seem to land any of those plush political communication positions.  No longer.  It obviously requires a much more pliable perception of reality than I’m capable of producing. Witness a master:

7/16/2007

Leslie Sandberg, communications director for Ciresi calculates that “68 percent of Ciresi’s money this quarter came from donors inside Minnesota, compared to about 50 percent for Coleman, and about 20 percent of Franken’s donors.”Ron Carey, MNGOP Chair: “No matter how many millions he raises from his far-left friends outside our state, Al Franken won’t be able to convince Minnesotans he has the temperament, demeanor and experience necessary for the U.S. Senate.”

7/24/2007

Kevin Diaz, Star Tribune: “In all, Franken’s camp reports that more than 4,000 of his 28,000 donors were from Minnesota, including 3,677 who gave less than $200.

Coleman’s camp reports that about 3,500 of his 7,000 donors for the period were from Minnesota, including a little more than 3,000 who gave less than $200.”

(…)

“I wonder what the Republican Party’s talking points will be now that they’ve found out that more Minnesotans supported Al Franken than Norm Coleman?” said Franken spokeswoman Jess McIntosh.

Enter the maestro!

Mark Drake, a spokesman for the Minnesota GOP, stuck to his original point: “Al Franken may not like it, but the fact is that overwhelming majority of his donors come from outside Minnesota.”

So quick…like a mongoose’s final blow, Mark Drake, in mere seconds redefines the English language. A new epoch has begun!

Before: money given to political campaigns was called “money” and the people who gave that money were called “people“.

Now: no difference at all between pieces of paper and living human beings!

Yes Mark, moneypeople. I am sure this is merely the first of a whole litany of exciting and novel political newspeak. Funny thing that word…always reminded me of newspeak. I’ll write more on newspeak on Monday.

BONUS: The picture links to an MPR story on the CD-ROM that Drake and MN GOP distributed on a constitutional amendment to ban gay marriage. Remember this?

Problem was that the CD-ROM submitted data back to MN GOP servers without notifying the user. Drake’s response? The user should assume data is being collected.

Just like how poor Winston assumed Big Brother was watching him through the telescreen.

Mr. Drake, you are a delight.

Yes, I’m still here. But since this blog isn’t, contrary to public belief, run by some secret Democratic slush fund I had to work a bit harder at my day job to pay my hosting fee which is due yearly

on August 1^st. I was able (barely) to budget it in so Blanked-Out won’t be going dark anytime soon.

Returning to the subject at hand…

Rep. Ellison has since apologized for the now infamous Reichstag comments. And, in keeping with the principles I outlined for myself in the post and comments below, this was the wrong move.

I still believe in 99.9% of Rep. Ellison’s policies and positions. I also respect the opposing opinion that Rep. Elliso

n’s simile was in bad taste. Had Ellison himself apologized say, the day after, I would have found no fault in his admitting to the gaffe. As it stands, it was not a change of heart but acquiescence to the mounting media pressure.

Before I breakdown the media twirl-a-whirl, let me clearly state why I think the Reichstag comparison is apt.

First: Ellison, as far as I can tell from the source material, never invoked the Holocaust despite several media outlets and non-profits saying he did. (Hey, I’m looking at you Holocaust Museum). So there’s no reason to invoke the Holocaust to denunciate him.

The media totally missed the ball on what Ellison was talking about. The comparison was not made to show h

ow similar Bush and Hitler’s hit squads were or how they both suspended the constitution - - Bush didn’t send out hit squads nor did he suspend the constitution. Thi

s is the point!

We did.

We, being the collective social entity of the United States.

We, over a period of years, suspended the Constitution and allowed the War.

Bush merely did what any President with his background would do - most Democratic Presidents would have probab

ly made the same requests of Congress. To blame and demonize the Administration is to completely obscure the message. No members of the opposition were thrown in jail or execute

d. No gun was held to anyone’s head to secure a signature on a bill. It was given without widespread opposition.

(?But what about the protests and the lobbying and the?.? Yeah, I was there with you in D.C. for the protest. Guess what? That was a fraction of the outrage society should see when the collective tells the Government NO.)

Heart wrenching events like 9/11 or the Reichstag will prompt any Executive, Republican or Nazi, to ask for more power. As they should! It’s our job and the job of our Representatives and Senators to make sure that we don’t give them too much.

Governments can ask for power (Bush) or take power (Hitler) during these periods. The people must ask the tough questions and oppose the abuses of either.

This is the intended design of our Government - a brutal and constant tug of war between the People and the Executive. Behind either group is a sign that reads “Anarchy” or “Authoritarianism” is a very steep and rocky hill.

When the People suddenly let go of the rope - everyone descended together.

That’s it.

There have been dozens of ripe opportunities for an early return. But no single event perfectly captured the reasons for starting this blog in the first place - until now.

The masterful rebranding of Rep. Ellison?s remarks on the Reichstag fire has reached its apex - overseas! The UK Daily Telegraph’s most viewed link today had the following headline: “Bush like Hitler, says first Muslin in Congress”. This is quite possibly the most egregious blank out of the year.

Congratulations are in order. Tice, Kersten, Brodkorb and the Powerline Crew: you have all done a spectacular job.

Your rampant double-speak and subtle editing promoted the story to national status last week - over the weekend it jumped the pond and obtained international status. Your “story” now has a guaranteed patina of legitimacy. I’ve been stunned, not into silence, but into action.

This is the same roster that already attempted to prevent Rep. Ellison’s election with frivolous tabloid news. Rep. Ellison is now constrained by his resounding success. His office demands he render respect and decency to his feckless, undeserving attackers.

I, on the other hand, possessing no office or position or party restriction, am not so bound.

Stay tuned.

I hope no one needs to use these resources.  However, two years ago there were shameless Republican poll challenges in my area and considering the obscene false flag robo-calls going around, anything is possible.

Take Action Minnesota: 1-866-OUR-VOTE
DNC: 1-888-DEM-VOTE

Other election day resources, especially if you’re covering election day for your blog, can be found at the Center for Citizen Media.

(hat tips to MNBlue and Christian Sande)

The only thing that matters on Election Day are the people who actually make it to the polls. Pollsters use modifications to their selection methods to obtain a population that is likely to vote. In 2004, these methods were far from perfect.

It was my experience two years ago that gave me a permanent cynicism toward any prognostications based on polls, whether they be positive or negative. Simply put, Democrats were unable to close.

Here are quick closers to use:

• CD1: Gutknecht admitted he didn’t know how bad Iraq had gotten. Gutknecht abdicated his oversight responsibility and does not deserve re-election.
• CD2: When Murtha said we should increase troop levels in Iraq or get out, Kline blasted him for telling the truth. Kline has an excellent military record but has forgotten the first rule of war: go hard or go home. Kline supported an unrealistic war plan and now it’s time for him to go home.
• CD6: Bachmann has showed disdain for the entire concept of rational thought. On Iraq, when WCCO asked Bachmann what the strategy should be she gave a meaningless sound-bite as an answer. Our troops deserve more and Bachmann’s lack of strategy would endanger lives.
• Gov: While the Governor cannot directly change the Iraq policy, Pawlenty has said he would still support Bush even if his approval rating fell to 2%. That betrays a dangerous fanaticism and ignorance of reality.

Iraq has supplanted terrorism as the main issue driving the election. Believe it or not, but the most common reason given by moderates and independents for voting Republican was “we need to fight them over there so we don’t have to fight them at home.” That patently false propoganda has fallen apart.

In every competitive race, the Minnesotan Republican candidates have proven themselves unsuitable for public office due to their support for the administration’s Iraq policy. As you urge your family, friends or perfect strangers to vote tomorrow, remind them of these closers.

Another highlight of the forum was when Eva Young of the blog Dump Bachmann asked the panel why weren’t mainstream media reporters at the Living World Christian Center event featuring Michelle Bachmann as a speaker. The event drew national attention due to a perceived endorsement by the Center’s pastor and Bachmann’s comments that God called her to run for Congress.

Carr argued that this is where blogs excel - the only reason the story was broken was because of the blogs. Black admitted that had he in advance known of the event he still would not have attended due to time constraints.

The public’s impression of the mainstream media is a bit distorted. Many of us have ideas of huge rooms, crowded with reporters, ready to dispatch to any corner of the state in a moment’s notice. Truth be told, I doubt there are any newspapers or local TV stations that are not understaffed. Carr and Black stated that it was breaking stories like the Bachmann/Living World stories that scared mainstream media to death. The MSM knows that it will be difficult to compete with what Carr called “the army of human web crawlers”.

In my last post, I reported how Carr and Black were concerned that blogs exacerbate partisan differences. Specifically noted were errors of omissions. That blogs, while reporting truthful or novel information, leave out information damaging to “their guys”. Brodkorb stated that his blog was “not the League of Women Voters” and that his blog presents a specific point of view and that perspective   is valuable. Bodell said that even while partisanship may slice stories thinner and thinner it only takes one quote out of context in a mainstream media story to completely lose the original meaning. Blogs can give greater context and depth.

A perfect example of this dynamic occurred in the past 48 hours. New polls on several Minnesota races were released. Democratic blogs heavily reported the Zogby polls showing both Amy Klobuchar and Mike Hatch winning their respective races. Meanwhile, Republican blogs latched upon the Reuters/Zogby poll showing Bachmann 10 points up on Patty Wetterling. Neither constellation of blogs reported the polls that showed “their candidates” behind.

Part 3, “The End of Privacy” is still en route. In the mean time, if you haven’t signed up for GOTV yet, time is running out.

A little background: I’ve been without cable for years. Furthermore, I can count on a single hand the number of times I’ve watched local television channels in the past four years.

With several important local races looming, I decided to hook up basic cable in order to watch the local news. I was prepared for the multitudes of political ads.

Or at least, so I thought.

I had no idea of the onslaught that awaited me. The tsunami of constant bombardment - accusation, rebuttal, redirect - the never ending drone of the voice overs. I consider myself an avid consumer of political information. If this was too much even for me, how does the normal voter react to the flood? Especially considering the vast majority of the ads are negative. Keith Ellison knows exactly how they react:

“I’m more convinced than ever that negative campaigning is wrong, and it shouldn’t be done, and I’m proud that I haven’t done it. It’s inherently a voter suppression tactic. If I smear you, your voters aren’t going to vote for me, they’re just not going to vote. We should be trying to bring people into the electorate, not drive them away.

Most of you have noticed that my blogging frequency has fallen.  I hate to say it, but in the waning days of the election the apathy has gotten to me.  I instead have been focusing on my career and my aspirations to enter a graduate program.

My political memory is frighteningly short.  It is highlighted by the distraction of the Lewinsky scandal, the perversion of the 2000 Presidential Election, Wellstone’s death and the 2002 electoral bloodbaths and the soul-crushing disappointment of Bush’s re-election in 2004. Last year was a good year, on a local level.  And 2006?  You can’t blame me if I’m a little jaded on the political process.

There are not many bright spots, politically speaking.  

Even at the cusp of a historical political re-alignment I am suspicious of the capacity for real change.  We should all remember that November 7th isn’t the end - it is the beginning of a possibility for real change. Well, the apathy ends today.  None of us who simultaneously see the flaws of our government with its awesome potential for good can pass up the possibility for change.

This is a great idea and I’m glad the Strib blogs are expanding. I think it was an especially good idea to give Kersten the next blog, for the following reasons.

1. The blog helps reveal Kersten’s bias in her columns. Bias isn’t a bad thing - everyone has one. The issue was it wasn’t always clear to a layman reader what Kersten’s bias was - I doubt many readers got as far as to read Kersten’s full bio (hidden below the Read More link) that reveals her past work for the Center for the American Experiment. In comparison, the blog’s outgoing links are a who’s who of conservative news magazines, core knowledge education links (i.e. ED Hirsch inspired curriculum), anti-gay marriage sites and conservative blogs. Kersten’s bias is now crystal clear.
2. The blog is a better outlet for Kersten’s research. Earlier this cycle there was a bit of confusion surrounding Kersten’s contribution to a Strib article on Keith Ellison’s past. Many readers thought that the wall between News and Opinion should be stronger. With a blog, Kersten can post her articles directly to the readership without jeopardizing the supposed “non-bias” of the news.
3. Kersten’s promise of a communication “exchange”. One of the strongest features of blogs over other types of media is the inherent exchange of opinion not only between readers, but between the readers and the author. As the population’s trust in traditional media falls, blogs can serve as a way to reconnect journalists and opinion-makers back to readers.It’s important that we move away from the current reaction - “You’re just a pinko/fascist newspaper so I’m going to dismiss everything you publish” to “I disagree with your position, but I know where you’re coming from.” Kersten has promised that: “Sometimes, I’ll update my columns with interesting new facts, or add insights from reader emails I get (with permission, of course).” We’ll see if she keeps her promise.